The Bloomington Housing and Redevelopment Authority extended its emergency maintenance contract with Renew Homes through the end of 2025 and received a clean audit report for 2024 during its Tuesday meeting.

The board approved extending the maintenance agreement with Renew Homes for $174,996, keeping the contractor that has handled emergency repairs for the HRA's 42 single-family rental properties since late 2024. HRA staff praised Renew Homes for building trust with residents and responding quickly to emergency situations. The authority plans to issue a request for proposals for 2026 emergency maintenance services later this year.

Auditor Andy Hearing from Red Bath and Company presented the 2024 audit results, reporting an unmodified opinion with no internal control or state compliance findings. However, the audit identified four federal compliance findings related to contractor verification requirements, report review procedures, environmental reviews, and eligibility checklists. HRA Administrator noted that corrective actions have been implemented for all findings.

The authority invested approximately $1.2 million in capital improvements across its rental property portfolio in 2024, with maintenance costs running about $18,300 per unit annually. Staff reported positive feedback from residents about improved communication and timely responses to maintenance requests since bringing property management in-house.

The board also heard updates on the HRA's maintenance framework, which divides services into emergency on-call, general maintenance, and capital improvements categories. Staff is conducting capital needs assessments across the portfolio and researching alternative funding sources for future improvements.